Ontario RNs celebrate and plan for the future of the profession at annual general meeting

TORONTO, Thursday, April 22, 2004 – Members of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) will leave this week’s annual general meeting with a new president and an even greater passion for improving the health-care system for nurses and the public they serve. RNAO’s 79th annual general meeting, Nurses: Champions of Care, will bring together more than 700 RNs from across Ontario to celebrate the achievements of the past year, strategize on province-wide nursing and health-care issues, and plan for the future of the profession.

“As I reflect on my time as president, I am proud of the perseverance and persistence demonstrated by members of our association,” said Adeline Falk-Rafael, outgoing president of RNAO. “We have built an association that is a force to be reckoned with, often setting the political and policy agenda.”

RNAO’s new president, Joan Lesmond, will be officially sworn in on Friday, April 23. “The priorities of our association are very much the priorities of the entire profession,” she said. “We need to continue to lead on many pressing issues – such as retention and recruitment, increased opportunities for full-time employment, healthy work environments as well as protecting and strengthening Medicare.” As director of clinical programs and chief nursing officer at Casey House in Toronto, Lesmond also has many years of progressive health-care management experience in both community and institutional care, and is on the faculty of Ryerson Polytechnic University, instructing baccalaureate nursing students in community health.

The AGM begins Thursday, April 22 at 7:15 p.m., preceded by a meeting of the RNAO Assembly and Board of Directors, and concludes Saturday, April 24 at 12:30 p.m. Highlights include:

Thursday, April 22:

Formal procession with government officials and RNAO leadership, celebrating 100 years of organized nursing in Ontario (7 p.m.)

Guest speaker the Honourable Roy Romanow, Commissioner, Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, will share his views on the progress to date on his final report as well as the challenges and opportunities to move forward and strengthen Medicare. (9 – 9:45 a.m.)

Greetings from Premier Dalton McGuinty (12:15 – 12:30 p.m.)

Street nurse and Atkinson fellow Cathy Crowe will address the next generation of nurses at the Student Luncheon (12:30 – 2 p.m.)

Stephen Lewis will share his heart-rending experiences as U.N. Special Envoy to Africa on AIDS/HIV during his closing keynote address (11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

During the President’s Banquet, Friday, April 23 at 7 p.m., RNAO will present the 2004 Awards for Excellence in Health-Care Reporting. RNAO will honour the winners of the sixth annual provincial media competition for their work in promoting healthy public debate and education about nursing and health-care issues. For a list of this year’s seven winners, click here (link expired).

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses wherever they practice in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has lobbied for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.